Life Unexpected
by 0Twisted-Symphony6
Summary: Juliet is not prepared for the surprise she is about to get when she answers the door of her and Shawn's apartment.  Established Shules, slightly-in-the-future fic.
1. Amelia

**A/N:** **Hello, all! This is my first full-length Psych fic! I've been working on it for awhile, and have several chapters already written, so I hope you enjoy it. **

**IMPORTANT NOTE: In order for this to work, Juliet needs to have lived in Santa Barbara when she was younger. I don't think this is completely un-canon. We know she moved from Miami, but we also know she went to college there, which could mean she just stayed in Miami after college until the start of Psych. Besides, the Christmas episode where her family is in town? It seems like it would make no sense for her ENTIRE family (nephews and all) to come visit her in SB if she alone could visit them in Miami. So, I think this could be possible. So just go with me on the idea that she left SB for college and then finally came back in '06.**

**This is BY FAR the shortest chapter I have-think of it as a prologue.**

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><p>Juliet O'Hara had just sat down after an exhausting day of work at the station when she heard the doorbell ring. Groaning, she pulled herself up from the couch, trying to steady her body's weight.<p>

At nearly six months pregnant, her center of balance was slightly off, enough for her to start having trouble transitioning from the sitting to standing position.

Once Juliet balanced herself, she quickly made her way to the door and opened it to see who was there.

At the door stood an adolescent girl, perhaps 15 or 16 years old, with wavy brown hair and blue eyes.

"Can I help you?" Juliet asked the girl after a brief silence.

"I'm looking for Juliet O'Hara."

"That would be me," Jules replied, confused by the girl's presence.

"You're Juliet? Are you sure?"

Juliet furrowed her brows: "Yeah, I'm positive. What exactly is this about?"

"Well, I'm..." The girl paused, trying to figure out the best way to phrase her response. She ended up choosing the simple route. "I'm your daughter."

Juliet's eyes widened and slowly began to fill with tears. Her daughter? She couldn't believe her baby girl was standing in front of her, not to mention that she was confused about why.

"I need you to sign this for me and then maybe give me the name of who knocked you up so I can get his signature too?"

"Wait—what? What am I signing?" Juliet asked as a pen was put into her hand. She was flustered and couldn't comprehend what this teenage girl who claimed to be her daughter was asking her.

"It's just a form terminating your parental rights so I can get emancipated. Just a quick signature and you'll be free of me. Oh—and that name."

"Uh, come in. You can sit down while I read this." The teenager sat down nervously on the couch as Juliet skimmed through the paper that her daughter had handed her. As she was doing so, her fiancé Shawn came out of the kitchen and noticed the girl on their couch.

"Hey, Jules, who's this? Oh, are you selling Girl Scout cookies? We could go for maybe four or five boxes of Thin Mints, don't you think, honey? For your cravings, of course."

"No, Shawn, this is—uh, I don't think you even told me your name," Juliet responded, suddenly realizing she didn't even know her own daughter's name.

"Amelia."

"Right, uh, Shawn this is Amelia...my daughter."

"That's funny, Jules. You're starting to imitate my own sense of humor. I'm proud of you."

"Shawn," Juliet replied quietly, her face utterly serious, "I'm not kidding. She's here because she wants me to sign this paper." She turned to Amelia, stumbling over her words slightly as she asked, "It says here you're being emancipated from foster care? You weren't adopted."

"Ah, no, it's a long, boring story. You wouldn't really want to hear about it."

Juliet bit her lip but then signed the paper. "So...do you need anything else? Can I take you somewhere?"

"Just the name," Amelia replied. "Think back to all the guys who got you pregnant, and let me know the name of my father so I can get his signature too."

"Jules, wait a second, aren't you going to tell me what's going on?" Shawn looked completely confused as he watched the interaction between the two females who looked quite similar, one of the only differences being their hair color.

"Shawn, I'll explain everything to you later, okay? I need to help Amelia right now." Juliet turned to her daughter, still feeling quite flustered, and told her, "Your father's name is Nate Parsley. I can stop by the station and find out where he lives and then take you to him."

"The station?" Amelia asked.

"Yeah, I'm a detective at the SBPD. Uh, come on. We'll go now. I'll see you later Shawn!"

Shawn stood dumbstruck in the living room as he watched Juliet and her apparent daughter walk out the door. "Uh, bye? Um, drive-drive safe, I guess."

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><p><strong>AN: This idea, if you hadn't guessed by the title, came from the show Life Unexpected. Imagine that! Anyway, the first couple of chapters will be similar to the pilot of that show, but after that, it's nearly all original content. I don't own Life Unexpected (the show). **

**Also, some might say that Juliet doesn't seem like the type of girl to have gotten pregnant in HS, but that's why this inspiration works-because Cate (the character in the show) was the exact same way. OK, enough of the rambling...**

**P.S. This is Amelia: http : /brittany-online. org/ photos/ displayimage. php?pid=1156&fullsize=1 [minus spaces] (it's actually the same girl who played this character [her name was Lux] on the show, but on the show she was blonde)**


	2. Walking Away

**A/N: Hope you enjoy this much longer chapter. Also, for the record, this takes place about 2 years from now. Late 2013.**

**EDIT: Sorry, I had to edit this. I just realized that my page break didn't show up. I didn't want you to be confused.**

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><p>Juliet and Amelia sat in the car, an awkward silence filling the air. Juliet's eyes were constantly darting back and forth between the road and the teenage girl's face.<p>

Juliet took a breath as she prepared to break the silence. "You have brown hair."

She could practically hear Amelia roll her eyes. "You're observant."

There was a silence as Juliet thought about what she should say to her daughter she hadn't seen in over 16 years.

"I, uh—I don't understand why you're in foster care. I was told there would be no problem getting you adopted—that there was some sort of waiting list.

Amelia turned to look at the woman whom she'd just learned was her biological mother. "I don't know if you knew this, but I was born with this heart thing…a hole. I had to have a bunch of surgeries. A baby on the operating table isn't exactly a selling point. I'm totally fine now, but by the time it was all over, I was three years old. Most people want babies." Amelia paused. "Well, not everyone."

Juliet pulled her eyes off the road to look at Amelia. Her eyes then went down to her current baby bump. Her eyes quickly returned to the road as she noticed her car was slowly veering to the right. She regained control and kept her eyes on the road again until they pulled into the parking lot of the Santa Barbara PD. Jules pulled into her parking spot and put her car in park.

"Look," Juliet said softly, turning to face Amelia, "it's not that I didn't want a baby—"

"Clearly," Amelia replied shortly, eyeing Juliet's stomach. "You just didn't want me."

"No, Amelia, I was your age! I couldn't take care of a baby then. I'm in a totally different situation now. I'm 32 years old and engaged. When you were born, I was only 16—I had no way to support you."

"Whatever, it doesn't matter. All that is important right now is finding out where this Nate guy is so I can get him to sign this paper. My hearing is in two days."

"Two days? What's the rush? You don't want to wait and maybe see if someone adopts you?"

"Nobody wanted a three year-old. Do you think someone's really gonna want a teenager?"

"Okay, you're right. I just—when I was sixteen, I thought I knew everything, but I was wrong. Do you even know where you're going to live or go to school? Do you really have a plan?" Jules asked, exasperated. "Emancipation is not common; you really need to know what your plan is if you want the judge to grant it to you."

"No offense, Juliet, but I didn't have a mom for 16 years. I don't need one now. Can you just go in and get the information so I can get out of your hair?"

Juliet bit her lip, but nodded as she climbed out of the car.

"Detective O'Hara, didn't I send you home an hour ago to get some rest? It's not good for the baby to be working so hard," Chief Vick said as Juliet made her way into the station and to her desk.

"I know, Chief. I did go home, but I had to swing by real quick to get a file off my computer. I forgot to take it with me when I left earlier." Juliet hated lying to her boss, but she wasn't technically supposed to look up where someone's information if it wasn't pertaining to an SBPD case. "Trust me; the baby is doing just fine. Shawn wouldn't let me overwork myself."

The chief nodded. "Alright, well, have a nice night, Juliet. I'll see you tomorrow," she said as she went back into her office.

Juliet quickly strode over to her desk and turned on her computer monitor. Looking over her shoulder to make sure nobody was watching, she pulled up the police station's database and typed in the name _Nathan Parsley_. She impatiently tapped her foot as she waited for the results to come up.

Juliet looked at the screen confusedly. _Nathan Parsley: deceased. _That could not possibly be right, Juliet thought. She looked at the date of birth: _04/16/1980_. That was definitely him. She checked the date of death: _11/16/2009. Cause of death: drug overdose._

Juliet let her head drop to her desk. She couldn't believe he was actually dead.

Suddenly, Juliet heard a voice and her head popped up, her fingers immediately moving to exit the browser window she was in.

"O'Hara, didn't I see you leave half an hour ago?" Lassiter asked, raising his eyebrows both at his partner's presence and her suspicious behavior.

"Hm? Yeah, I forgot something. Got it now. See ya later, Carlton," Juliet replied cryptically, popping up as quickly as she could with the extra weight she was carrying.

"What could you possibly be working on at home? You're on desk duty. You're pretty much nine-to-five right now." God, it could be really tough fooling a detective sometimes.

"I've just been looking at some of the case files that have shown up on my desk, double-checking to make sure everything is accurate. I'm just really devoted."

Lassiter and Juliet stared at each other for a few moments. Juliet could tell he didn't believe her—she had complained about desk work every day since the Chief had removed her from field duty a month and a half ago when it was evident that she wasn't as quick on her feet as she had been before and it became a safety hazard for her and her baby. However, Lassiter seemed to be debating with himself over whether or not he should call her out on her lie.

As he continued to stare at her silently, Juliet spoke. "Okay, I'll see you tomorrow, Carlton. Night!" And with that, she turned and scurried out of the police station.

Juliet bolted toward her car, eager to get away from the police station and all the questioning people. She climbed into the car and turned to Amelia.

"So, did you find his information? Does he live in Santa Barbara," the brunette asked eagerly.

"Amelia, your father…" Jules bit her lip. "Your father is dead."

"Dead? How can he be dead? He was your age, right? Oh, god. Did one of your high school teachers get you pregnant? Is that why this is all such a big secret?"

"God, no!" Juliet exclaimed, a shocked expression covering her face. She couldn't believe her daughter would ask such a thing. What kind of person did she think Juliet was? "Nathan was my age. There was not some May-December, inverted Mary Kay Letourneau situation! Nathan died four years ago of a drug overdose."

The two blue-eyed women were silent for a few moments. Juliet thought she saw remorse on Amelia's face, as if she regretted accusing her mother of having an affair with a teacher.

Amelia bit her lip in the same way Juliet normally did. "So what do I do for my hearing if he's dead?"

Juliet sighed. "I can take you to the Office of Vital Records over on Camino Del Remedio and we can get a copy of his death certificate that you can give the judge. They should still be open. It's 5:30 now and I think they close at 6."

Amelia nodded. "Yeah, okay."

Juliet shifted in her seat so she was sitting in the normal driving position. She quickly buckled her seatbelt and started the car before looking over at the brown-haired girl next to her. "Put your seatbelt on."

"Wow, you sound like such a mom," Amelia groaned, rolling her eyes.

"I'm a cop, remember? I'm supposed to enforce the laws… It would not look good on me if I got pulled over because my passenger wasn't wearing her seatbelt."

"Okay, I got it. It's on." Amelia turned her face away from Juliet, staring out the window.

Juliet pulled her eyes to the front of the car, then briefly back to Amelia to watch her for a moment. Juliet then took a deep breath and began to pull out of the parking spot.

Juliet and Amelia walked out of the Office of Vital Records, a copy of Nathan Parsley's death certificate in the younger one's hands. Juliet started to walk left to go toward her car, but stopped when she noticed Amelia start going to the right.

"Where are you going?" Juliet asked, trying not to sound so forceful. She realized she was already starting to parent this girl who made it very clear that she didn't need any parents.

"I'm leaving. You've helped me as much as you can. I've got everything I need. Like I said earlier, I'm going to get out of your hair now and you don't have to worry about seeing me or helping me again. I'm not your problem anymore."

It was difficult for Juliet to just let the young girl go. Even though she had only met Amelia barely an hour ago, Jules was starting to get way too attached to the idea of having her around, which made it hurt all the more that she had to let her go again.

"Are you sure you have everything under control? We have a spare room if you need some place to stay until your hearing. I mean, there's a bunch of baby stuff in there, but we can figure out a solution for you."

"Juliet, I'm fine, okay? You don't have to worry about me anymore." With that, Amelia turned and walked away from Juliet.

Tears formed in the blonde's eyes as she watched the daughter she had just been reunited with that very evening walk away, not even seeming to care.

Juliet slowly climbed into her car and turned the engine on, intent on driving straight home, but instead, softly pressed her forehead against the steering wheel and began to sob.

Juliet pulled into the driveway ten minutes after Amelia walked away from her. She couldn't believe her daughter was back, and just as suddenly, she was gone again.

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><p>When she walked through the front door, she immediately noticed Shawn sitting on the couch, his body pointed toward the door, watching television. He quickly jumped up and moved towards Juliet.<p>

"Jules! You're back; thank God!" His arms wrapped around her body and he pulled her as close as he could with her rounded stomach in the way. "What's going on? You just left without any sort of explanation. I've been watching _For Keeps?_ since you left, hoping Molly Ringwald might be able to shed some light on the situation, but all that's done is made me want to watch some quality Ringwald in _The Breakfast Club_."

"I'm sorry, Shawn," said Juliet, pulling him toward the couch to sit down. "I should have told you about her before we got engaged, in interest of full disclosure. And now we're having a baby, and it could affect our child's life."

"You know, I sensed that you seemed to know an awful lot about pregnancy for your first child, but I thought maybe you knew all this stuff from hanging around your brother's wife when she was pregnant with your nephews. You can tell me anything, you know that right, Jules?"

Juliet nodded, beginning to cry. "I know, you told me your biggest secret. I should have told you mine. I don't even know why I didn't tell you. I guess I was ashamed of it; I thought maybe you'd think differently of me if you knew."

"Jules, I love you more than anything, except maybe pineapple—I don't know, it's a close race-, and nothing is going to change that. I don't care if you got knocked up at—how old were you?"

"I was fifteen when I got pregnant, sixteen when she was born."

"I don't care if you got knocked up at fifteen. I made loads of mistakes when I was in high school, and my father will _gladly_ attest to that. I still love you, no matter what. You understand, Jules?"

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you, Shawn," Juliet cried softly.

"It's okay, Jules. It's in your past. As far as you knew, it was always going to stay in your past."

Juliet looked up at Shawn, staring into his eyes. Neither said a word for nearly a minute before Juliet leaned in and kissed Shawn, then snuggled into his chest.

"Her dad is dead. He overdosed four years ago," Juliet told Shawn. "We got his death certificate, and then she just left. She walked away from me. I can't fix things with her because she just walked away."

"Shh, it's okay," Shawn said, comforting his pregnant fiancée by rubbing circles on her back. "It'll all work out."

Shawn placed his hand on Juliet's stomach, feeling their child twist around inside of her.

"I love you, Shawn," Jules told him quietly. "And in case you didn't know, or started to question it because of this situation, I am so excited to be having a baby with you."

"I know you are, Jules. I could never think otherwise. I love you too."

Between the physical exhaustion pregnancy was causing her and the emotional exhaustion from that evening's events, Juliet was wiped. In less than two minutes, Juliet was asleep on Shawn's chest, despite the fact that it was only 6:20 PM.


	3. Juliet's Past

**A/N: **HERE is where you find out a little bit more about what happened in Juliet's past. It's a lot of dialogue, Juliet explaining everything. I hope it answers your questions and alleviates some of the hesitance you feel about the likelihood of Jules getting pregnant at 15.****

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><p>Shawn sat in the Psych office, throwing his plush pineapple up in the air, over and over. Gus sat at his desk, actually concentrating, when Shawn interrupted his work.<p>

"Jules has a kid."

"I am not totally engulfed in my work, Shawn. You can't just say something random and bizarre, hoping I didn't hear you," Gus replied, not looking up from his pharmaceuticals book.

"Gus, _Jules has a kid_. She's like 16 years old and she looks exactly like Jules, but with brown hair."

Gus looked up from his book and stared at his best friend. "You're serious."

"Girl's name is Amelia. She showed up at our door last night wanting Juliet to sign these emancipation papers. Turns out she was never adopted, and now she's trying to get out of foster care."

"You're totally serious!" Gus exclaimed, finally believing Shawn. "Wait, you said she's 16? That would've made Juliet 16 when she had her?"

Shawn nodded. "I told her this doesn't matter, that it doesn't change the way I feel about her, and it doesn't. I love her, and she's having my baby. But I'm kind of upset she didn't tell me. That's a major part of her life that she hid from me. My kid has an older sister. That affects me, right? I'm not sure if she ever would have told me about this secret daughter if she hadn't shown up at our door."

"She could've kept hiding it, Shawn, but she didn't. She told you. If nobody knew about this sixteen years later, it seems pretty clear that she didn't want people to know. It was probably a horrible time for her and I bet she's still trying to block out the bad memories."

Shawn tossed his toy pineapple back and forth between his hands, staring at it intently as he did so. "You're right." There was a pause, which Gus took to mean he could get back to his work now, but Shawn spoke up again. "I guess the girl's father is dead. Jules went to the station last night and looked him up. He died four years ago of a drug overdose."

Gus paused, not sure how to respond to Shawn's last statement. "So what happens now? Is Juliet really never going to see this girl again?"

"I don't know, dude. She signed the paper, but I'm not sure that Jules will give up that easily. Apparently the hearing is tomorrow. I have a feeling Juliet wants to go, and I'm not going to let her go alone."

"Why don't you talk to her about all this?"

"You just want me to stop talking so you can get back to work."

"That's not true, Shawn," Gus replied in a definite tone. "Alright, it might be a little true. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't talk to her. She's probably worried about how you are reacting."

Shawn nodded, staring at the wall as he threw his pineapple up once again.

• • •

Juliet hated desk work. It was boring as hell, which made it hard to concentrate. But that wasn't the only reason she couldn't concentrate. She couldn't stop thinking about Amelia or Shawn.

Amelia had just walked away from her. She had no idea where she was; she wouldn't let her help her anymore.

And Shawn...he said he loved her no matter what. But was that really true? Were those the extent of his feelings? It seemed like he should've had more of a reaction.

They'd barely even talked about the whole situation from the past, and Juliet suspected that Shawn was trying to respect her privacy, but she also knew Shawn was dying to know all the details.

Juliet desperately wanted to go to Amelia's hearing to see how everything turned out. She was having trouble letting go for a second time. She wished her daughter would let her be a part of her life, but she was just too independent—just like her mother.

Jules looked at the clock and saw that it was about 4:30. Since being put on desk duty, Juliet usually left between 5 and 6 PM, but she did not feel like sitting at that desk, engulfed in her thoughts, any longer.

She stood and gathered her stuff before walking toward the Chief's office and knocking on the door.

"I just wanted to let you know that I'm going to head home a bit early," Juliet informed Vick once she got a response of 'come in.' Offering an explanation, while not true, she continued, "The baby is pretty restless today, and I can't sit there any longer." Juliet placed her hand on her pregnant belly, rubbing it softly for effect.

"Of course, O'Hara. I completely understand. Have a nice evening."

Juliet smiled softly and returned the pleasantry before heading out of the police station and to her car.

Instead of going straight home, Jules stopped at the Psych office. She felt like she really needed to continue the conversation she had been having the night before with Shawn.

• • •

Shawn and Gus heard the bell on the door chime and their heads both popped up, ready for a case. They were surprised, however, to see that it was Juliet who was walking through the doorway.

"Hey," she greeted softly, giving Gus a smile before turning toward Shawn. "I'm heading home for the night. Care to join me?"

Shawn shot up. "Yeah, sure, of course. Totally," he stuttered. He was thrown off by her sudden arrival and wondered if this had to do with the thing from the previous night. He still wasn't sure what to say to her. His conversation with Gus hadn't helped much.

"See you later, buddy," said Shawn to Gus as he stood up and grabbed his coat.

Shawn gave Juliet a gentle peck on the lips before following her out of the office and toward the car.

"I'll drive, Jules. I know it's getting hard for you to do so with the baby."

"I'm not fat, Shawn! I can drive!" Juliet replied, suddenly awash in hormones, as she climbed into the driver's seat.

Shawn was still having trouble with figuring out what he could and couldn't say around a pregnant woman. When he thought he was being polite, it turned out that she would take it as either an insult and get mad or just start crying.

"Of course you're not, Jules. I never said that. You look beautiful, especially since you're carrying my child. That makes you even more beautiful than you already are."

Juliet bit her lip and almost started crying. "Really?"

Shawn nodded. "Definitely."

"Okay, you can drive." Shawn quickly made his way around the car to help Juliet out of the seat, but she swatted his helping hand away. He sighed as he climbed into the car and watched Juliet do the same on the passenger side.

Shawn started the car and began to drive toward their home, taking Juliet's left hand in his right. They were silent for the entire five minute drive home, but Shawn was continuously rubbing the back of Juliet's hand with his thumb.

Once they got home, they made their way inside. Juliet immediately sat down on the couch, and Shawn followed suit.

"I know you want to know the details," Juliet spoke through the silence.

"You don't have to tell me."

"I want...no, you deserve to know."

Shawn took Juliet's hand, sandwiching it between his own. Her other hand was placed softly on top of her stomach.

"It happened at Homecoming," she said. She noticed Shawn's eyebrows rise.

"_At_ Homecoming?"

Juliet bit the inside of her cheek. "Well, technically it was in a van in the parking lot during the dance."

Shawn opened his mouth to make a comment, but decided against it, afraid of how Juliet would react if he was to vocalize it. He shook his head and motioned for Jules to continue.

"I was standing in the parking lot. My date stood me up. Nate's date apparently had alcohol poisoning and was taken away in an ambulance. He saw me after the ambulance left and came to talk to me. He was the hottest guy in school, the quarterback of the football team. I couldn't believe he was actually talking to me. I'd always felt either invisible or hated in high school.

"I told him my date stood me up and he said that he had some Zima in his van, so I went with him. I was really upset, so I had a lot to drink, and next thing I knew, we were having sex in the back seat of his mom's van."

Tears were forming in Juliet's eyes as she continued. "It turns out he was a total asshole. That Monday I heard him talking to his friends. They asked if he'd slept with me. I heard him tell them, 'I'd only have sex with her if she had a bag over her head and tape on her mouth so I wouldn't have to see her face or listen to her talk.' I had actually thought that he and I might be together after we had sex, but I guess that was stupid. The whole thing was a fluke. I doubt I would've even slept with him again if we had been together, but I don't know. I was excited about the possibility of having a boyfriend."

"He was a loser for saying that about you, Jules. You're the most amazing, beautiful woman I've ever had the pleasure of meeting."

Juliet smiled at her fiancé. He could always make her smile when she needed to the most.

"A month later, I found out I was pregnant. I accosted him after a football game, waving the stupid pregnancy test at him, rambling on. I think it took him a while to figure out what I was saying, but once he did, he freaked out and said he couldn't deal with it, then left.

"I didn't tell anyone I was pregnant until I was four months along. My brother Ewan found out. He saw me looking at an ultrasound. He threatened to kill the guy who got me pregnant, so of course I didn't tell him who the father was. He kept my secret, though, helping me when I needed it, driving me to doctor's appointments.

My mom found out in April, when I was about 6 months along, because it was getting warmer, and she became suspicious of my large sweaters and sweatshirts. She said to me, 'Julie, sweetheart. Please tell me you're not pregnant' and I could hardly bare to look at her. But I finally did, and I'll never forget the look on her face at that moment. She was so disappointed. Her only daughter, her youngest child, her baby girl, was having a baby at 16.

"She didn't yell at me. She just looked at me sadly and walked away. I went into my room and cried, until she knocked on my door.

"I was lying in bed, my knees pulled up as close to me as they would get, and she sat on the edge of the bed. She reached out and grabbed my hand and asked me how far along she was. She looked hurt when I told her sixth months, like she was wishing I'd trusted her enough to tell her sooner. Then she handed me two onesies, one of my brothers' and one of my own. I told her I was having a girl, but I wasn't keeping her. She looked sad, but nodded and told me I had to tell my dad and brothers that night.

"I was terrified of telling my dad. I couldn't figure out how to go about saying 'I'm pregnant.' My mom and brother figured it out, I hadn't even needed to say the words before.

"All throughout dinner, my mom was glancing my way, telling me 'you better do this.' I finally got up the courage right when my dad started to get up to clear his plate.

"'Wait!' I cried out, way louder than I needed to. 'Mom and Ewan already know this, but I have to tell the rest of you guys something.' I stared at my plate full of food that I couldn't eat from nerves as I said 'I'm six months pregnant.'

"My brothers looked shocked, but my dad was furious. He threw his plate on the ground and tried to kick me out of the house, but my mom wouldn't let him. I had never been so afraid of my dad before. He was a smart, cunning man, and he expected as much from me, but I apparently did not meet those expectations for him."

Shawn ran his fingers through Juliet's hair, silently encouraging her that she could continue on with her story when she was ready.

"Nobody at school knew I was pregnant. I was invisible anyway. By the end of the school year, I was seven and a half months pregnant, and I rarely left my house during the summer, except for doctor's appointments, so nobody would see me.

"Amelia was born July 19, 1997. I saw her when the nurse held her up, but I never held her, because I didn't want to get attached. I know I would've, and I couldn't afford to get attached. I wouldn't have been able to provide for her at 16."

Juliet pursed her lips, trying to figure out how to wrap her story up.

"She told me yesterday that she was born with a hole in her heart and had a lot of surgeries. That's why she was never adopted. I thought she would have a better life without me, but maybe I was wrong."

"Jules, you couldn't have known about the hole or that she'd end up in foster care. It's not your fault. You did what almost any teenage girl in your situation would do."

She shut her mouth tightly, trying to alleviate the lump she felt in her throat, then nodded at Shawn's statement. He was right.

"Shawn, I have to go to that hearing tomorrow. Judges rarely grant emancipation and she doesn't seem to have a plan. I need to know what going to happen to her. I need to know that she's going to be alright."

"Of course," Shawn replied, rubbing Juliet's back. "I'll even come with you."

"Really?" Juliet's eyes lit up. She really had found the perfect guy. "I found out the hearing is at 3:15. Make sure you're there on time."

"Yes, ma'am," he said, giving Jules a salute. She laughed at his gesture. "So, what do you say for dinner, Jules? Chinese? Pizza? Mexican?"

Juliet rubbed her belly, thinking about what she wanted to eat. "Chinese sounds amazing."

"Chinese it is."

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><p><strong>AN: **I was about 90% done with this chapter when I decided I wished I'd told Juliet's story in a flashback...but it was too late; I was already too far gone. I just didn't expect it to be so long, so I didn't think there would be so much dialogue. But hope this worked well enough for you...****


	4. Courthouse Drama

**A/N: Sorry, got a little distracted by my oneshots and forgot to update, but here you go! :)**

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><p>Shawn hopped off his bike in the parking lot of the courthouse. He checked the time on his phone. It read 3:25.<p>

"Crap," he said to himself, running through the front door and looking around to find where he was supposed to go. Luckily, he noticed Jules standing at the end of a hallway, waving for him to come her way.

He hurried down the hallway, giving Jules a quick kiss to the side of her lips. "I know, I promised I'd be on time. I'm really sorry, Jules."

"It's okay, Shawn, it starts at 3:30."

Shawn turned his head slightly to the right and gave his fiancée a questioning look through the corner of his eye. "You said 3:15."

"I lied," Juliet replied with a smirk. She took his hand in hers. "Come on, we better go in."

Juliet sat down with Shawn, noticing Amelia at a table in the front of the courtroom.

"All rise," the bailiff announced.

"Be seated," the judge continued as he sat down.

"Amelia, it says here that you're sixteen."

"Yes, I am. I'm old enough to be emancipated, and once I am, I'll get my GED, get a job."

"And this is your caseworker?"

At the other, a woman stood up. "Yes, your honor, but I have only been with Amelia for a few months. She seems to be change hands a lot."

"I see that. Seven different foster homes."

"That's not really my fault," Amelia offered.

"Then whose is it? You can't be saying it's the seven different families who were kind enough to take you in."

"No, I wanted a good home. The state of California just hasn't provided me with one."

"So you have no permanent place of residence?"

"Once I get emancipated, I can get an apartment."

"You're going to afford an apartment? On what income? And who will cosign your lease agreement?"

"I have $3000 saved up, and the point of being emancipated is that I won't need someone to cosign," Amelia replied, annoyed. She felt like she had everything planned out, but the judge did not seem to see it from her perspective.

"No landlord is going to rent to a minor—"

Suddenly Juliet shot up. "I'll cosign, your honor!"

Amelia turned to find the source of the voice and was shocked to see who it was. The judge was surprised by the sudden outburst.

"And who are you?" he asked in a suspicious tone.

Amelia answered. "She, uh, she's my birth mother."

The judge put his glasses on and said to the caseworker, "Let me see that file, please." He began to look the file over.

"Jules, what are you doing?" Shawn asked, standing up next to her.

"I told you that I needed to make sure she's okay. I have to help her, Shawn!"

"Okay, okay. I understand, Jules."

"You're a detective for the Santa Barbara Police Department, no criminal record. In possession of a working vehicle."

"Yes, sir," Juliet spoke nervously.

"And who's this with you?"

"This is my fiancé, Shawn Spencer. He works as a consultant for the SBPD."

"Do you two currently reside together?"

"Yes, your honor. We've been together for two years now and living together for a year and a half," Juliet answered.

"Mr. Spencer, do you have a criminal record?"

Shawn held his breath, not sure how to answer, so Juliet answered for him. "He's got one theft charge from when he was eighteen. He took the neighbor's car for a quick spin. He was only charged because the arresting officer was his father. The neighbor didn't even care whether or not he was charged."

"He was eighteen? So he's gone more than a decade without being charged with any other crimes?"

"Yes, your honor, and he has well made-up for his one mistake as a dumb teenager by the numerous crimes he's helped the SBPD solve since then."

Amelia suddenly interjected, confused by the line of questioning that was going on between her birth mother, her fiancé, and the judge.

"I'm sorry, what is going on?"

"I'm going to be straight with you," the judge started. "I am _not_ granting you emancipation." Amelia was visibly upset by the judge's words. "You have no income, no place of residence. You filed a fee waiver in order to pay for the court costs! Now, Juliet O'Hara is still legally your mother."

"No, she's not!" Amelia interrupted. "I had that paper signed."

"The signature was neither witnessed nor notarized. So, unless anyone here has an objection, I'm releasing back into her temporary custody."

Juliet and Shawn's mouths both hung open. Amelia looked astounded. She had gone to court to become independent, not to end up with parents.

• • •

"Well," Amelia said, walking out of the courthouse. "That was the opposite of getting emancipated." She stormed ahead, not really sure where she was going.

This left Shawn and Juliet alone for a few moments.

"Are you sure you're okay with this?" Juliet asked Shawn. "You didn't really get much of a say in this, even though she's going to be living in your home too. I know you were pretty freaked out five months ago when I told you I was pregnant, but you came around. But you had a lot more time. Today, suddenly, we just ended up with a sixteen year old."

Shawn ran his finger through his hair as he took a deep breath. "Yeah, it's a little overwhelming, but I get it. She's your daughter. I realize that you're excited about getting a second chance, so I'm happy for you. But, yeah, it's a lot to handle. I think I need to go for a ride, Jules."

Juliet nodded. She was nervous about Shawn riding off when he was feeling so stressed out, but she knew he needed the fresh air. He'd just been placed with an overwhelming responsibility.

"Be safe," she told him warningly in her cop tone.

"Of course." He gave her a quick peck on the lips. "I love you," he said before leaning down and rubbing her belly softly. "And you too."

Juliet smiled as she watched Shawn walk toward his bike. She then turned, looking for Amelia. She found her sitting up against the native stone railing of the stairs.

"Hey," Jules said quietly as she approached her daughter. "Can I sit down?"

"Sure," Amelia replied dryly. "They're not my steps."

Juliet put her arm out, carefully sitting down on the step, with much difficulty due to the extra unbalanced weight on her front side.

Amelia looked at her mother after Juliet had successfully sat down. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course," Jules replied, resting her hands on her stomach.

"Did you ever consider keeping me?"

Jules eyes watered as she thought of the last time she had been pregnant when she'd had to make the toughest decision of her life.

"When I first found out I was pregnant, no. But the day I found out you were a girl, I stared at the ultrasound for hours. That's how my brother found out about you. I was so distracted, looking at this picture of you, an actual little _person_, that I didn't even notice him coming in the room. That entire day, I kept going back and forth between my feelings, and how much I knew I loved you already, and what I thought was best for you. I honestly did think you'd be better off if I didn't keep you, that you'd be loved and provided for. That's why I ultimately decided to give you up."

Amelia nodded, taking her mother's answer in. She sighed. It seemed like Juliet really did care about her, but Amelia was so used to people hurting her that she couldn't accept yet that it was true. She eyed Juliet's stomach. "So, do I have a half-brother or sister?"

Juliet smiled at the lightened mood of the moment. "I don't know yet. I'm supposed to find out next week. Shawn wants a girl, but I'd be happy either way." Juliet laughed. "If we had a girl, she'd have her daddy so wrapped around her finger, I'm sure of it."

"Where did he go, anyway?"

"He said he was going for a ride, but I'm pretty sure he went to see his dad. They don't get along well, but it's better than it used to be, and Shawn realizes that he actually does have decent advice sometimes, hard as it is for Shawn to admit it."

"What exactly does he do as a consultant for the police department?"

Juliet smiled wryly. "He's a psychic detective."

Amelia's eyebrows shot up and her mouth hung half way open. "A psychic." She paused as Juliet nodded. "You're serious? Your fiancé is a psychic?"

"He's good at what he does," Juliet said cryptically. "When he decides to be serious, at least."

Amelia shook her head and gave a slight laugh at the idea of her new, temporary "dad" being a psychic. Yeah, right.

Juliet smiled and asked her daughter, "Are you ready to go now?"

"You don't have to take me home. I can figure something out on my own, and you won't have to bother," Amelia offered, shaking her head.

"Yes, I do, Amelia. I made a commitment, and furthermore, you're my daughter. I know that I haven't shown it well in the past, but I lo—" Juliet abruptly stopped, afraid that Amelia would be uncomfortable with the intensity of the emotions so soon, so she amended. "I care about you."

Amelia rolled her eyes. "Yeah, okay. Let's go then." Amelia stood and then noticed that Juliet was having difficulty getting to her feet from the steps.

"Here," Amelia spoke, offering Juliet a hand to pull her up.

"Thanks," Jules said, taking the assistance. "Come on, my car is this way."

• • •

Henry groaned, noticing the familiar motorcycle in his driveway, as his truck came to a stop in front of his house.

"Hey, Pops," Shawn said, handing his father a beer as the door opened. "Welcome home."

Shawn took a sip of his own beer as he plopped back down on his father's couch, not bothering to check to see if Henry was following him into the living room.

Henry took the cap off his bottle as he settled into a chair. "Okay, Shawn. What's the problem now?"

"I have to take care of a kid, dad."

"How many beers have you had, Shawn? Juliet's six months pregnant, I thought you were getting used to the idea of being a father."

"Chill, dad, this is my first." He took a final swig of the now empty beer and set the bottle on the table. "I _was_ used to the idea of being a father—in three months, to a baby. My kid. Mine _and_ Jules's."

"Cut the cryptic bullcrap, Shawn; you know I hate when you do that."

"Juliet and I just got temporary custody of her _sixteen_ year-old daughter. I don't even know what happened. One second, Jules was volunteering to cosign a rental agreement, and the next thing I knew, the judge was giving us custody of the girl. I don't know how to deal with a teenager, dad!"

"Whoa, slow down, there, Shawn. Let's start from the beginning. Did you say Juliet has a sixteen year-old daughter?"

"Yes! Yeah, she does, and I didn't even know she existed until two days ago! And now she's going to be living with us until further notice and Jules is secretly thrilled, but I'm just scared out of my fucking mind."

Henry took a deep breath, staring at the bottle in his hands. "Listen, kid, I can't say I know anything about what's going on here, but I do know this: you've been given a lot of responsibility. For some god forsaken reason, that judge trusted you to take care of this girl, and that's what you're going to do. It won't be easy. Teenagers can be hell to deal with—trust me on that one. But that girl is counting on you and Juliet is counting on you." Henry put his hand on his son's shoulder. "Think of this as a test run. You get to practice being a dad before your baby even gets here."

"But a baby won't know when I screw stuff up. Amelia will."

"It doesn't matter how much practice you have, Shawn. You're bound to screw up from time to time—every parent does. But at least you'll have some experience to know what not to do for the next time."

"It's just so sudden. All of this came out of nowhere. I don't want to let Jules down, but I'm just feeling overwhelmed."

"Have you thought of how Juliet feels about all of this? Excited as you say she is, she's probably just as scared as you are," Henry advised. "Now, I only know what you told me of the situation, but it seems to me that this is just as sudden for her as it is for you."

Shawn nodded then sighed. "I hate it when you're right."

Henry looked toward the heavens. "Dear Lord, what is happening? Did my son—Shawn Spencer—just admit I was right? Hell must be freezing over as we speak."

"Funny, dad," Shawn spoke as he stood from the couch. "I'm going home now, but before I do, I have to say: please, for the love of all that is holy, change your shirt. Babies are crying, dogs are barking, cats are hissing. No—burn it. It's upsetting the careful balance of good and evil in the world because that shirt is worse than the devil himself."

"I like this shirt, Shawn," Henry argued as he followed his son to the door.

"Do it for the greater good."


	5. She Isn't a Big Fan of Delicious Flavor

**A/N: I'm sorry, this chapter isn't very long. It just felt like this was a natural stopping point for the chapter, and I figured it'd be better to end it here than add useless words that just drag it on.**

* * *

><p>LUX 05<p>

Juliet was surprised when, a mere thirty minutes after she and Amelia had arrived home, Shawn came bounding through the door.

"Honey, I'm home!" he called, setting his motorcycle helmet on the floor by the front door.

"Dinner is ready on the table for you, dear," Juliet answered in a sugary southern accent from her spot on the couch.

"I will be very disappointed if this is not the case," Shawn replied jokingly as he gave Juliet a peck on the lips then sat down beside her.

"Prepare to be disappointed then," she responded with a smirk. "There's leftover Chinese in the fridge, but Amelia and I haven't eaten either, so we should probably order something that will feed all three of us." Jules placed her hand on her stomach as she felt a soft kick. "Make that four. Baby's hungry, too."

"Well, what does Baby want for dinner tonight?" Shawn asked, his question aimed at Juliet's stomach.

"The baby can't taste anything, so it's probably a better idea to ask Amelia what she wants for dinner. It's her first night here. I don't want her to feel like her opinions don't count."

"Where is she, anyway?" Shawn looked around their home, noticing she wasn't in the room with them or in the kitchen.

"I set up an air mattress in the nursery for her. Luckily, the baby furniture doesn't take up as much room when it's in boxes."

"See, I sensed we would need that space for something else. That is why I haven't put the furniture together yet, Jules! It makes sense now!"

Juliet's eyes widened. "The baby is going to be here in three months! What if Amelia is still living with us? Where will she sleep? Surely she won't want to share a room with a baby! We need more space!"

Shawn took Juliet's hand in his own. He bit his lip, thinking about his response. How long would Amelia be staying with them? They honestly had no idea. It could be just a few weeks, but maybe it would be more long-term. "Jules, calm down. We have plenty of time. Today, our only dilemma is what to have for dinner. We can talk about our living arrangements at another time."

Juliet sighed and took a deep breath. "You're right."

"Now, let's see what that daughter of yours wants for dinner. I hope she has good taste in food." Shawn contemplated standing and knocking on the bedroom door, but considering his current position, with Juliet's legs sprawled across his lap, he decided to go for the easy method.

"Amelia!" he called loudly. "Come out here!"

After a few moments, almost to the point that Shawn considered calling for her again, the door swung open.

"Yeah?" Amelia asked, standing in the doorway.

"Two questions. Number one: are you a fan of delicious flavor?"

Amelia looked at Shawn like he was crazy. Her brows furrowed and her mouth hung half open. "I don't even know what that means."

"Do you like pineapple?" Shawn amended with a sigh.

"Uh, it's alright, I guess."

"Alright? JUST ALRIGHT? Juliet, who is this monster you've let into our home? Alright? Blasphemy!" Shawn cried in exasperation.

"He practically worships pineapple," Juliet told the brown-haired girl. "You've offended his god." Amelia merely stared back in confusion. "Just ignore him. The _other_ question, some may say the more important of the two, is: what would you like for dinner?"

"Oh," Amelia replied, pushing her hands into her pockets. "I really don't care. I'm fine with whatever."

"Except for pineapple, apparently!" Shawn cried.

"I want you to feel at home here, and that means you get a say in what we have for dinner," Juliet reasoned.

Shawn watched as Amelia bit her lip in a very Jules-like manner. He still couldn't believe how much Amelia looked like Juliet, and he was beginning to notice similar mannerisms as well.

"I haven't pizza in forever," the brunette said with a small smile.

"Pizza it is! One medium Hawaiian. What else?"

"Combination."

Shawn's head popped up as he noticed that two voices had joined together in speaking that last word.

"Nice! Look at you two, talking in unison. Okay, one medium Hawaiian and one large combination pizza?" The two females in the room nodded. "Awesome. I'll go make the call."

Shawn made his way into the kitchen to call in their pizza order, leaving the two blue-eyed females alone.

Amelia shoved her hands in her pockets, not really sure if she should stay out in the living room or go back into the bedroom.

Juliet pressed her lips together as her eyes wandered around the room. "Do you want to watch TV? We've got like a million channels. Shawn insisted. He said he needs to be able to watch all his shows, including Royal Pains and Dexter, plus movies at any given time of the night."

"Uh, okay," Amelia replied, realizing that if she said no, Juliet would insist, just as she had every other time.

Juliet patted on the sofa, indicating for Amelia to sit down, and handed her the remote. "Choose anything."

Amelia began to flip through the guide, pausing to check which episodes were on of certain shows, but eventually ended up on Cake Boss.

"I really like to bake," Amelia murmured, briefly glancing from the TV screen to Juliet's face.

"Really?" Jules inquired. "Are you any good at it? Because every time I try to bake, I manage to burn everything—just to the point of it still looking like the intended creation, only blacker."

The brunette smiled at the blonde woman. "Yeah, I'm pretty good, I guess. I'm nothing like this guy," she gestured to the television, "but I do make a mean batch of rocky road cupcakes."

"Ability to bake must not be genetic, then. I can barely make cupcakes when all you have to do is add eggs, stir, and pop in the oven."

Amelia laughed and then turned toward the show. "I can't decorate for crap, though. My cupcakes taste like heaven, but look nothing like anything he makes."

"I think that's all that matters, really. Because, sure, his cakes look awesome, but that fondue frosting is not the most tasty thing in the world, and come on—cake is meant to be eaten, not looked at." Amelia smiled at the comment. "Well, one of these days, you're going to have to show me how to make those rocky road cupcakes—just don't let me touch until they're finished; I'll mess them up."

Amelia nodded and gave a soft smile, but part of her wondered how long she would be staying with Juliet and Shawn. Not only did she not want to intrude on them when they were quite clearly a family already—complete with a new baby on the way—, but she had also been trying to become emancipated, and she hadn't given up on that goal.

Amelia ran her fingers through her wavy hair as she settled into the couch, her stomach beginning to growl as they watched the cakes be transformed.


	6. Mini Jules

**A/N: Shawn and Amelia do a bit of bonding, which I think is fun, and Lassie finds out about Amelia!**

* * *

><p>LUX 06<p>

Juliet's maternal instincts were in overdrive, between the nesting she was doing due to her pregnancy and the sudden arrival of her estranged daughter.

She had insisted on enrolling Amelia in school at Leland Bosseigh High School because she believed it was in a safer area of Santa Barbara and it was also closer to their home. Amelia felt like it was an unnecessary change, but had relented when Juliet's hormones nearly caused her to begin crying. Amelia hated when people cried.

On a Tuesday, a little less than a week after the judge had placed her in Juliet and Shawn's care, Amelia began to walk away from the high school at the end of the school day. She then noticed a motorcycle pulling up alongside the curb she was walking.

"Amelia!" a voice shouted, causing the teenage girl to turn her head. The voice was familiar. She noticed it belonged to the man on the motorcycle who she realized was Shawn. She made her way toward him.

"Here," Shawn offered, handing Amelia a spare helmet. "I was in the neighborhood, realized you'd be out of school, and thought I'd give you a ride home."

"You really don't have to do that, Shawn. I'm fine walking. You can get back to work—whatever it is you do."

"No case right now," Shawn responded, "so all I've been doing is sitting in the Psych office watching reruns of Twin Peaks while eating bowl after bowl of Captain Crunch. And I realized—cereal drowns in milk, so that makes milk a cereal killer!"

Amelia laughed at Shawn's antics. She was really taking a liking to Shawn. He was silly, but not in an _entirely_ immature way.

"Besides," he continued, "you won't get many more chances. This baby is going up on Craigslist to accommodate for the _other_ human baby that I'm going to be having. Jules says motorcycles aren't good for transporting babies, and I have to say, I agree with her."

"Alright, I'll come. But instead of going home, can we go to your office? I'd like to see you in action."

"Of course you do, mini-Jules. I'm so incredibly impressive that everyone wants to see how it's done. I guess you can head back to the Psych office with me. You can do your homework while I try to see if I can get myself put onto a new case."

Amelia pressed the helmet onto her head and climbed onto the motorcycle with a smile. This would be fun.

• • •

Half an hour later, Shawn got a call saying there was a case. He immediately called Gus, who was on his way to the office anyway, having just finished his rounds for the day.

"Thank goodness you're here, buddy. This looks like it'll be a good one," Shawn greeted, grabbing the keys from his best friend's hand. "Come on, Amelia. You ready to see the real magic happen?"

Amelia's eyes brightened at the idea of seeing a real crime scene—not just one on television. It seemed like it would be exciting.

"Amelia calls shotgun," Shawn informed Gus as Shawn climbed into the driver's seat.

"This is my car, Shawn! Don't you think I should be able to sit in the front—or, I don't know, drive it?"

Shawn cut off Gus' ranting, having heard it about a thousand times before. "Gus, I need to bond with my soon-to-be step-daughter."

Amelia glanced at Gus who sighed, motioning to let Amelia take the front seat. However, glancing in the mirror, she noticed Gus pouting as he sat in the back seat of his own car.

"I have to warn you, Amelia. Sometimes the crime scenes can be a little gruesome," Shawn disclosed. "Gus has been known to go screaming from the sight of the body."

Amelia laughed, thinking Shawn was joking. From what she'd picked up about Shawn, it seemed like most of what came out of his mouth was a fib.

"Shawn, I don't do that anymore!" Gus exclaimed defensively. Amelia's eyebrows went up and she puckered her lips slightly as she eyed Gus.

"You work with the police but you're afraid of bodies?" Amelia inquired.

"I _used_ to be afraid of the blood, but I'm better with it now."

"Spoiler alert: he's not," Shawn whispered not very subtly to the blue-eyed girl.

Suddenly the car whipped around as Shawn parked on the opposite side of the road than he had been driving on. "We're here, guys."

"Smooth parking job," Amelia commented sarcastically, tugging on her seat belt that had locked up on her.

"You check it when you get out. You'll see that my park job is exquisite."

Finally unbuckling her seatbelt, Amelia opened the door and climbed out of the car. She looked at the edge of the gutter and the wheels of the car. Shawn was right. He had parked perfectly.

"Alright, the crime scene is this-a-way," Shawn directed, taking long strides in the direction he pointed.

"Is Juliet going to be here?" Amelia asked. She knew Jules was a detective with the SBPD.

"Nah, Jules is on desk duty for now because of the bun in her oven," Shawn explained, eyeing the crime scene ahead. He suddenly stopped as his vision narrowed in on certain key features of the setup of the scene.

"I'm sensing something!" Shawn exclaimed, throwing his finger to his temple. "I'm getting strong vibrations! Rolling! Vroom! Vrrrrroom! A car! The car, it's bloody! The body is in the car! THIS BODY WAS MOVED!"

Shawn took a deep breath to gather himself after his 'psychic' outburst, and then glanced toward Amelia to gauge her reaction. Her mouth was agape in an impressed fashion, but her brows were furrowed, indicating confusion or disbelief.

From the side, where he had been talking to one of the CSIs, Lassiter turned to scowl at Shawn, and then turned his gaze toward the body.

"We have blood spatter indicating wounds were inflicted at this site, however, the amount of blood at this scene does not suggest the victim would have bled out. The number of wounds, however, should denote a much higher volume of blood." Lassiter turned back toward Shawn, grimacing as he conceded, "Spencer is right: the body was moved—but additional wounds were inflicted after the movement, perhaps to make us believe that this was the original point of attack."

Shawn began to applaud. "Great job, Lassie. I could've told you that, but I thought I'd give you the pride of figuring something out on your own for once. Although, maybe I should've taken that one, side I have someone to impress."

"Who's the girl, Spencer? And why are you bringing her to a crime scene?" Lassiter asked.

"Why, Lassie! This is mini-Jules, of course! Doesn't she look so much like her? Other than the brown hair, of course."

"Spencer, stop messing around and just tell me why you brought a teenage girl to an active crime scene!"

"Lassie, this is Amelia, Jules' daughter. Amelia, Head Detective Carlton Lassiter," Shawn introduced.

"Funny, Spencer, but really—who is she?" Lassiter pushed.

Shawn's eyebrows rose as he looked at Lassie's face. "Jules didn't tell you about Amelia?"

Amelia stood next to Shawn feeling incredibly awkward. They were talking as if she wasn't even there. And it was growing apparent to Amelia that Juliet hadn't even told her coworkers she had a daughter—whom she'd just gotten custody of.

Amelia reached out her hand, offering it to Lassiter for a handshake. "My name is Amelia, sir, and it's true. Juliet is my mother."

"Right, O'Hara's daughter," Lassiter mused. He then looked to Amelia. "How'd he get you to play along?"

Amelia did not respond, but turned her gaze toward Shawn, who stared at Lassiter quizzically.

"Lassie, I think you should have a talk with Jules. She's your partner—I had just assumed she told you already." Shawn patted Lassiter on his shoulder, causing the older man to scowl. "Alright, Lassafrass, we're going to go for pineapple smoothies. We'll meet you in Woody's office in an hour."

Shawn turned and began to walk back to the blueberry, leaving Lassiter looking slightly dumbstruck.

"That's it?" Amelia questioned, following Shawn away from the scene. "You tell them the body's been moved then go for smoothies?"

"Usually," Shawn replied. "We'll go to see what Woody—the coroner—has to say about the body later. But generally, the spirits tell me more when the police aren't around." Amelia gave Shawn a questioning look, but did not respond. "So, what kind of smoothie do you want?"

• • •

"You took my daughter to a crime scene?" Juliet screeched quietly as Shawn tried to hand her a pineapple smoothie.

"Relax, Jules," Shawn placated his pregnant fiancée, "Amelia wanted to see me in action. What you should be worried about, however, is the fact that Lassie was there and apparently you haven't told him about your daughter. He was very confused. He was under the impression I was messing with him. Like I would ever lie to him…about something like that!"

"What?" Juliet hissed. "You saw Lassiter? Shawn, don't you think it's my place to tell him about Amelia?"

"I thought you already told him! It's been nearly a week since you two reunited!" Shawn defended. "He doesn't believe me, anyway, so you still have the opportunity to tell him. Isn't that right, Gus?"

"Yeah, Lassiter never believes a word Shawn says," Gus provided after being elbowed by Shawn.

"Why haven't you told him?" Amelia asked curiously. She wondered if Juliet was ashamed of her.

"I just—haven't gotten around to it," Juliet lied unconvincingly. "He's been busy with cases and I've been doing all this paperwork." Shawn silently stared at Jules, willing her to be honest. "Okay, I'm nervous about his reaction. I respect him. I'm afraid it will be like when I told my dad I was pregnant the first time," Jules admitted. "Not that the second time went much better. At least I'm engaged and older now!"

"Jules, Lassie isn't going to care about what you did in high school. He probably won't bat a single dark, Irish eyelash at the news, but he deserves to know because he is your partner, as well as your friend."

"Shawn's right, Juliet. And you're probably Lassiter's best friend. He trusts you. You don't want to keep this from him for too long, or he'll react similar to the way he did when he found out you and Shawn were dating," Gus added, providing an additional rational and logical argument.

Just as Juliet was about to respond, Chief Vick walked by Juliet's desk and then backtracked at the sight of an unfamiliar visitor.

"Detective O'Hara," the Chief greeted. "You seem to have quite the crowd here. Who might this young lady be?"

Juliet bit her lip and took a deep breath, figuring she would have to tell the chief sooner or later, and clearly Shawn was not going to let her choose 'later.'

"Chief, this is my daughter Amelia. Amelia, Chief Vick."

The Chief eyed the teenage girl, surprised, as she responded, "Your daughter?" Karen saw the resemblances—they were undeniable—, but she was puzzled by the sudden appearance of Juliet's supposed daughter.

"Yeah, it's kind of a long story. Can I explain later?" Juliet requested.

"Of course," Vick replied. "Nice to meet you, Amelia." And with that, Chief Vick walked back into her office, but not without a confused expression adorning her face.

"Uh," Amelia started, watching as the door to the office shut, "that was kind of strange. She didn't even let me respond."

"The Chief can be a little odd at times," Shawn informed Amelia. "Sometimes she wants all the details, and other times, if it's not relevant to the case or police work, she couldn't care less." Shawn glanced toward Vick's office, noticing her watching the group chat. "Although, I am sensing that this time, she is confused and wants to know, but doesn't think it is her position as Juliet's boss to pry for all the details."

"O'Hara!" Juliet heard a familiar voice call. She couldn't find the body the voice belonged to, however.

When Lassiter came into view, he had a stern look on his face and he glared at the sight of Shawn, Gus, and Amelia standing at O'Hara's desk.

"We'll just go down to the morgue now to see Woody," Gus suggested.

Before Juliet could get a chance to tell Shawn not to take her daughter into the morgue, the three had already turned and shuffled away quickly. She sighed.

"Hi, Carlton," Juliet greeted in her normal cheerful manner as he approached her desk.

"Spencer was spouting some crap about at the crime scene about that girl who was just here. I don't tend to listen to _anything _he says, but it did seem logical when he said that I should talk to you about it. He said that he thought you would've told me already. What haven't you told me?" Lassiter seemed hurt at the idea of his partner not telling him important life details once again. And although Lassiter and Juliet weren't currently working cases together because of Juliet's pregnancy, after the baby came, they'd be partners once again and they needed to maintain that level of trust.

"Carlton, I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I was just nervous how you'd react," Jules started, motioning for Lassiter to sit down on her desk. "Shawn wasn't trying to mess with you when he said that the girl, Amelia, is my daughter."

"She can't be your daughter; she's got to be like fifteen. And you've been here for over seven years, I've been to your house; I would know if you'd had a daughter."

"She's sixteen," Juliet responded, and she could see Carlton calculating in his head. "It's a really long story, but the short version is that I put her up for adoption, but she was never adopted. Last week, she found me because she was trying to get emancipated from the foster system. The judge didn't grant her emancipation, but instead gave me and Shawn temporary custody of her." Juliet, who had been avoiding eye contact up until that point, looked up at Lassiter. His face was relatively devoid of emotion, although she could see in his eyes that he was shocked.

"Carlton, please don't be mad at me for not telling you. It's been less than a week since the judge placed her with me, and before that, even Shawn had no idea that I had a daughter. Nobody knew besides my family."

"Thank you for telling me the truth, O'Hara," Lassiter replied calmly.

"You aren't mad at me are you?" Juliet questioned, her eyes beginning to water. Those damn hormones made it so difficult to control her emotions. She never used to cry.

Lassiter sighed at the sight of his crying partner. "No, of course not." He awkwardly put a hand on Juliet's shoulder in an attempt to be comforting. "I understand."

"Good."


	7. You're Having a

**A/N: oh god. I'm sorry it's been so long. I went on a cruise the first week of January and have had no inspiration to write since. But it's been too long, so I'm pulling out one of the chapters from my files, even though I haven't added to it anymore. (I've already written 14 full chapters though, and like 200 words of chapter 15.) Hopefully posting this and getting a few reviews will jump start my inspiration. I could use some. Sorry for the wait!**

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><p>LUX 07<p>

The next day, Shawn was with Gus at the victim's house, trying to gather as much information as he could in the short amount of time they had.

Their victim was a thirty-seven year old investment banker. He was married, but they had yet to find his wife. Her friends didn't think she had any vacation plans, but her boss said she'd taken three days off for a vacation. It was rather suspicious.

On top of that, Shawn was noticing many potential motives for this man's murder. He did not seem like a very good guy.

"Not only was this guy defrauding 90 percent of his clients, but he was cheating on his wife as well," Shawn commented as he looked through the man's emails.

Gus rolled his eyes. "Why are all our murder victims lying, cheating jerks?"

"Jerks are the ones that people want to get rid of."

"I hear that."

Shawn took a look at his phone and noticed it was ten till noon. He was supposed to meet Jules at the station at 12:00 so they could drive together to her doctor's appointment. They were going to find out the sex of their baby today.

"Time to go, Gus. You need to drop me off at the station."

"Right, you and Jules are finding out if you're having a boy or a girl today, aren't you?"

"Yeah, we are," Shawn answered with a large smile plastering his face. Gus was still constantly surprised at Shawn's maturity when it came to the idea of becoming a father. It was a major change from the Shawn Gus knew just a few years ago.

The two began to walk toward the door, but Gus stopped them. "Shawn, your Sprite," he reminded.

Shawn gave a short nod as he picked up his can of soda. "Right, thanks, buddy."

• • •

"Hey, Jules," Shawn greeted as he walked into the Santa Barbara Police Department. "Ready to go?" He leaned down to give her a quick kiss before turning to grab her coat from the coat tree near her desk. Jules had been less strict about no PDA at the station since they'd told everyone that she was pregnant, but she still insisted that, if they did kiss, it had to be short and chaste.

"Yeah, let me just save this file," said Jules as she began to stand from her desk. Once she was up, Shawn helped Jules put her jacket on.

"I'm nervous," Jules admitted as she took Shawn's hand. He placed his other hand on her stomach and turned to face her.

"Why are you nervous?" Shawn asked concernedly.

Jules placed her other hand atop the one of Shawn's that was resting on her baby bump. "I'm not really sure. I think it's that knowing if we're having a boy or a girl...it makes it feel so much more real. We'll be that much closer to having a tiny baby to take care of."

Shawn's breath hitched slightly as he took in Juliet's words. She was right. They were going to be parents in barely 3 months.

"We can do this," Shawn told Juliet confidently. "And for the record, I'll be happy whether the baby is a boy or a girl because it will be a little piece of you mixed with a little piece of me." Shawn smirked. "I just hope the kid doesn't have my nose. A sniffer this big will not look good on a little baby's face."

Juliet laughed and kissed Shawn, a little longer than either of them was used to doing in public. "I love you," she murmured against his lips.

"Love you, too." Shawn smiled and turned, pulling her along with him. "Got the keys?"

Juliet nodded and held them up, letting Shawn take them from her hands so he could do the driving.

• • •

Twenty minutes later, Shawn and Juliet were seated in an exam room waiting for an ultrasound technician. Suddenly Juliet sat up from her reclined position.

"Do you think I should've invited Amelia to come?" Juliet inquired. "This is, after all, her half-sibling. Or would that have been weird? It probably would be weird since she's only known me for a week."

Shawn laughed at his fiancée's ability to work through her own question herself. "We'll tell her as soon as we get home, and then maybe invite her to the next appointment after you guys have gotten to know each other more."

Juliet nodded and was about to speak when a knock came at the door. She assented to the entrance of the person at the door, ready and now just purely excited to find out if she and Shawn would be having a baby boy or a baby girl.

"Good afternoon, my name is Gina. You must be Juliet," the technician greeted with a warm smile, offering her hand to shake. She then turned to Shawn. "And I take it you are the proud father?"

He shook Gina's hand. "Yes, Shawn Spencer. Nice to meet you."

"Fantastic. Well, let's get the machine turned on and look at your baby! You two would like to find out the gender, correct?"

"Yes," Shawn and Juliet answered together.

Gina explained that she would be putting a cold gel onto Juliet's stomach and then began to run the wand across her abdomen. She switched something on and suddenly a light thumping filled the room. "That's your baby's heartbeat," Gina explained. "It is incredibly strong. This is perfect; the baby is in a great position to determine the gender." She studied the screen carefully. "Congratulations, you two are having a little boy." Gina then took a picture of the screen and announced that she would leave them alone for a bit while she went to retrieve the copy of the ultrasound.

Juliet's face froze in utter excitement. She didn't even know how to respond. They were having a boy—hers and Shawn's son.

She looked over to Shawn who was staring off into space. "Shawn, are you okay?"

"I just hope he takes after you, Jules," Shawn explained with a laugh. "I was a trouble-maker."

Jules smiled at the thought of a little Shawn of her own.

"Our lives are going to be exciting," Jules mused, placing her hands on her stomach, out of the way of the ultrasound gel.

Shawn grabbed some tissues and began wiping it off her stomach for her. He then gently kissed her lips and then brought his own to her belly.

"Hey, little guy. It's your daddy. We're really excited to meet you."

Juliet's heart fluttered the way it always did when Shawn talked to her stomach. She loved how paternal he was turning out to be. He was actually capable of putting aside his immaturity and acting like an adult in this situation, and it made Juliet incredibly happy.

• • •

After their doctor's appointment, Shawn and Juliet went back home because Jules was going to take the rest of the day off. When they got home, Juliet went into their bedroom and opened the closet, pulling out a Barnes and Noble shopping bag. She then went back out to the living room, seeing Shawn sitting on the couch.

Jules sat down, her back against the arm of the couch and her legs resting on top of Shawn's.

"Are you going to read me a story?" Shawn questioned in a childish voice.

"No," Jules laughed, pulling the book from the bag which was already dog-eared on certain pages. "Can we talk about names?" she inquired with an innocent smile.

"You bought an entire book on baby names?" Shawn contested, rubbing his hand on Juliet's knee. "Do you realize that there have to be hundreds of free websites dedicated to this very subject?"

Juliet bit her lip and brought the book up to her face, blocking it as a smile formed. "I got excited."

Shawn pushed the book down and leaned in to kiss Juliet. "Alright, do you have a jumping off point, or are we just going to start at A and continue until we get to Z?"

"I've got a couple of ideas of names that have stuck out to me and go well with Spencer."

Shawn smirked. "How long have you been thinking of names that go well with my last name?"

Juliet blushed and looked away as she spoke. "Uh, like three years," she admitted.

Shawn ran his fingers through his hair as a cocky smile spread across his face. "You were pining for me."

Juliet playfully slapped Shawn across the chest. "Shut up. You were pining for me for _way_ longer. 'Close talking?' Right, that was convincing."

Shawn raised his eyebrows but then sighed as he realized she was right. "Okay, so what names do you have in mind?"

"Okay," Jules started, flipping to the first saved page. "The first name I have is Aiden."

Shawn twisted his lips so they were bunched to one side "Hmmm, it's cute, but I don't like that there isn't much nickname potential. What do you call him other than Aiden? Not Aid or Aidy," Shawn mused. "Maybe a middle name," he suggested. Juliet nodded and realized that what Shawn was saying was completely true. "Or Brayden would make a good first name because then you could call him Brady."

"I like that," Juliet agreed, reaching for a pen on the table behind the couch to add the name in the margin rather than trying to find it on another page. "Okay, next is Christopher," Jules continued as she opened the next bookmarked page. "I think it flows better as a middle name, though, for some reason." Shawn nodded in agreement as Juliet moved on. "On this page, I underlined Evan. We could call him Ev."

"I like it. Definitely keep it on the list for first name possibilities."

"I have Levi bookmarked, but this is one that I specifically saved as a middle name potential. I wouldn't want it to be his first name."

"What's on that page?" Shawn questioned, pointing to a dog-eared page that Jules had skipped.

"Huh? Oh, I missed that one. It's Edward," Jules answered.

"No, vetoed. Absolutely not. In the past few years, and surely in the years to come, there has been and will be an influx of children named Edward due to _Twilight_ fans procreating." Shawn shook his head adamantly, asserting his decision even further.

"Oh, god, you're right. Definitely not," Juliet concluded, putting several lines through the aforementioned name. Juliet then flipped past Levi and to the M section where she saw the name Matthew circled. "Matthew is one of my favorites," she admitted. "I think it has the best ring and there are a lot of middle names that go well with it."

"Matthew Spencer. Matt Spencer. Matty. Matt," Shawn tested, wanting to make sure he liked the sound of it. "I do like it."

Juliet smiled, glad her fiancé seemed to be on the same page as her so far. "What about Nicholas?" Juliet suggested, flipping to the next page.

"Hmmm," Shawn considered, making a slight face at the name. "Something about it doesn't sound right as a first name." Shawn paused, thinking silently. "Matthew Nicholas Spencer has a nice ring to it."

Juliet nodded in agreement, making a note on the name Nicholas. "The last one I have is Zachary."

Shawn ran the name through his head, mentally testing it out. "Zachary, that's a good one. I think that one might rival Matthew."

"Do you have any name suggestions?" Jules inquired, wanting to include Shawn in the process of coming up with ideas, not just with voting on the names she picked out.

Shawn brought a finger to his temple as if the spirits were going to decide him in his decision of what to name his son. "Dobby."

"No!"

"Hagrid."

"No Harry Potter names, Shawn!" Juliet insisted.

"Fine," Shawn conceded, drawing out the one syllable of the word 'fine.' "Ferris."

"You're not naming our son after a character from an eighties movie!"

"So that would mean it's a no on 'Indiana' too?" Shawn clarified.

"No Indiana," Juliet enforced. Shawn opened his mouth to continue, but Juliet cut him off. "We're not naming him after Harrison Ford, either, so don't even think about it!"

Shawn pouted, but continued to think of possible names. "Napoleon?"

Juliet shook her head, glaring softly at Shawn.

"Aw, come on, Jules! Napoleon is a strong name!"

"That may be true, but it's also rather archaic. Not to mention, ever since I read _Animal Farm_, the name makes me think of a pig." Juliet stared off into space for a moment, picturing something, and then shook her head out of the daydream.

Shawn sighed. "What about Romeo?"

Juliet's mouth dropped slightly open. "You can't be serious."

"I can be serious!" Shawn argued. "But I wasn't when I said Romeo. That would be silly for a mother and son to be Romeo and Juliet. Disturbing, really. I am, however, serious about this one: Nemo."

"A cartoon fish?"

"Finding Nemo was _hardly_ what one might call _cartoon_! There's a huge difference between animated and cartoon, especially when the animated one is computer generated! _The Lion King_—that's a cartoon." Shawn's eyebrows suddenly shot up as he thought of another idea.

"Simba!"

"Shawn, please be serious," Juliet pleaded.

"No, Jules, I am serious about this one! Then I'd be able to say to him, 'Simba, I am your father.'"

Juliet rolled her eyes at her fiancé. "Darth Vader said that to Luke."

"Don't be silly, Jules. Darth Vader is from _Star Wars_, not _The Lion King_."

Juliet shook her head, not bothering to further explain anything. "Do you have any suggestions that aren't from Disney movies, 80s movies, movie actors, or Shakespeare?"

Shawn twisted his lips to the side like he often did when he was considering something. "Matthew. I think it's Matthew."

Juliet smiled at the fact that Shawn regained his seriousness. "You really like that name?"

Shawn nodded, reaching over and rubbing his fiancée's stomach. "Definitely. It feels right. How about you make a list of all the options we have for middle names and we'll see how we like them with Matthew."

Juliet flipped back to the page where Matthew was listed and began to scribble in the margins.

_Matthew Levi_

_Matthew Nicholas_

_Matthew Aiden_

_Matthew Christopher_

Shawn took a look at the list then stole the pen from Juliet's hand, crossing out _Matthew Christopher_. "It doesn't sound right," he explained and Juliet agreed. She had thought of the middle name Christopher as something that would've gone better with the name Evan or Brayden.

"I think we should keep these three names on this list and not choose yet," Juliet suggested. "We may realize as we get closer that we like one more than the others."

Shawn nodded in agreement and then bowed his head toward Juliet's belly. "Hey, Matty. It's your dad. Your momma and I are really excited to meet you. We're not sure what your middle name is going to be yet, but we do know your name is Matthew Spencer. We're going to love you so much. We already do, actually." Shawn pushed the hem of Juliet's top up slightly so he could place a gentle kiss on her bare stomach. When he looked up, he noticed Juliet had tears streaming down her face.

"Are you okay?" Shawn asked concernedly.

"Sorry," Juliet apologized, wiping the tears from her face, "it's these crazy hormones. I'm either crying or screaming, hungry or horny. It's impossible to keep my emotions in check, which is weird for me since I've always been so good at hiding my emotions. You learn to be when you have older brothers, or else they'll use it against you, and I've used that to my advantage to show no little emotions since I'm a cop."

Shawn helped Juliet wipe away another tear and then smirked. "Hungry or horny? So which one are you now?"

Juliet smiled, any tears now long gone. "I'll give you a hint." She then proceeded to lean in and kiss Shawn passionately, running her fingers through his hair.

"We should probably take this to the bedroom."

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><p><strong>AN: I really love baby names... :)**


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